Hunter Walker

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Hunter Walker is a national affairs reporter for TPM. He came to the site in 2013 from the New York Observer. He has also written for New York Magazine, Gawker, the Village Voice, Forbes, The Daily, and Deadspin. He can be reached at hunter@talkingpointsmemo.com

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Hunter

A Texas woman accused of using straw donors to illegally funnel $10,000 to the campaign of Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY) is "engaged in plea negotiations" with federal prosecutors, according to court documents filed Friday.

The woman, Diana Durand, who has been described as a friend and fundraiser of Grimm's, also had her first appearance in a Brooklyn court pushed back until Feb. 12.

The company tied to the latest explosive allegations against New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) office said this week that the donations it made to politicians and committees over the years were proper.

Rockefeller Group arrived in the spotlight this week after the mayor of Hoboken, N.J. alleged Christie's administration had threatened to withhold hurricane relief money unless she approved a real estate project involving the company.

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey have demanded to see documents from Gov. Chris Christie's (R) re-election campaign and the state Republican Party in the investigation into the bridge scandal.

Mark Sheridan, an attorney with the law firm of Patton Boggs, told TPM on Thursday he is representing both groups that were subpoenaed and they intend to comply with the subpoenas. According to Sheridan, the subpoenas "all relate to the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge" and are returnable Feb. 5.

The New Jersey General Assembly and Senate plan to hold separate meetings on Monday to vote on whether to create a special joint committee to investigate the bridge scandal and potentially other allegations that have hit Gov. Chris Christie's (R) administration.

Assembly Democrats issued a statement Thursday announcing the vote in their chamber and saying the committee would be "focused on questions surrounding the decision to close access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee and concerns about abuse of government power."
State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D) also confirmed to TPM that the Senate would also meet on Monday.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and a key executive for a firm linked to the latest allegations against his administration have more than a decade of deep ties to the same charity.

Both Christie and Rockefeller Group Executive Vice President Leslie "Les" Smith have served on the board of Daytop New Jersey, a nonprofit substance abuse treatment and education program with facilities throughout the state. They have also attended and chaired Daytop events together.

A video found by TPM on Wednesday shows New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) speaking in September at a gala where he met with a key executive of the company tied to the latest allegations hitting his administration.

In the video, Christie appears to speak fondly of the executive, Leslie Smith, and refers to him by the name "Les."

The footage, which was originally posted by Newark Star-Ledger newspaper in September, has resurfaced just days after the mayor of Hoboken, N.J. unleashed explosive allegations that involve Christie's administration and Smith's Rockefeller Group development firm.

The mayor said over the weekend that Christie's administration threatened to withhold Hurricane Sandy relief funds from her city unless she approved a real estate project on land owned by the company.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) met in September with a key executive for a development company at the center of the latest allegations hitting his administration.

The allegations were lodged by Hoboken, N.J. Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who said that the Christie administration threatened to withhold Hurricane Sandy aid from her city unless she approved a development planned for a lot owned by the company.

In a photo first surfaced Tuesday by the Newark Star-Ledger newspaper, Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, were shown standing alongside Rockefeller Group Executive Vice President Leslie Smith at an event last September.